Listz area intelligence

Where is buying a home most affordable?

Compare median sold prices with local resident earnings across England and Wales, separately for each major property type.

243 councilsMeeting the selected sales threshold
100+ salesRequired in 2025
Price ÷ earningsLower means more affordable

This is a council-level affordability indicator, not a mortgage eligibility test. It compares the median flats and maisonettes sold price with annualised resident median weekly earnings. It does not account for deposits, household income, interest rates, taxes or individual circumstances.

Most affordable: Flats and maisonettes

Most affordable council areas
RankCouncil areaRatioMedian priceWeekly earningsChange vs 2024
1Sunderland2.05×£70,000£655-8.29%
2Stockton-on-Tees2.25×£82,000£700
3South Tyneside2.42×£87,000£691-0.70%
4Preston2.45×£92,000£722-3.42%
5County Durham2.47×£85,000£661-10.01%
6St. Helens2.51×£97,500£748
7Blackpool2.52×£85,000£648+5.08%
8Cumberland2.57×£107,000£800-0.16%
9Wyre2.58×£95,000£709-4.01%
10Darlington2.59×£95,000£705-8.21%
11Barnsley2.59×£100,000£742-7.00%
12Kingston upon Hull, City of2.62×£88,000£645-10.86%
13East Riding of Yorkshire2.74×£107,500£756-7.60%
14Gateshead2.85×£100,000£675-4.61%
15Northumberland2.89×£110,000£733+3.67%
16Newark and Sherwood2.89×£115,000£766
17Chorley2.89×£115,000£765+1.37%
18Fylde2.93×£128,000£839-20.91%
19Rugby2.95×£136,750£892-10.30%
20Wolverhampton2.98×£110,000£711-2.30%

Least affordable: Flats and maisonettes

Least affordable council areas
RankCouncil areaRatioMedian priceWeekly earningsChange vs 2024
1Kensington and Chelsea17.87×£950,000£1,023-8.94%
2Westminster15.53×£820,000£1,016-11.57%
3Hammersmith and Fulham12.89×£615,000£917-13.71%
4Camden12.85×£690,000£1,032-18.26%
5Islington11.10×£580,000£1,005-13.05%
6Hackney10.66×£531,500£959-10.34%
7Brent10.52×£430,000£786-5.99%
8Haringey10.08×£472,000£901-8.22%
9Wandsworth10.07×£532,500£1,017-11.85%
10Ealing10.00×£420,000£808-3.23%
11Newham9.87×£422,000£822-9.46%
12Lambeth9.56×£470,750£947-6.10%
13Southwark9.41×£460,000£940-10.03%
14Tower Hamlets9.24×£479,040£997-12.03%
15Hounslow8.81×£370,000£808-6.33%
16Waltham Forest8.56×£401,000£901-5.37%
17Richmond upon Thames8.55×£470,000£1,057-8.12%
18Barnet8.54×£402,000£905-5.78%
19Greenwich8.41×£395,000£903-11.93%
20Lewisham8.30×£385,000£892-3.41%

Methodology and limitations

Ranking measure

2025 median sold price divided by 52 times the 2025 resident median weekly pay. A ratio of 5× means the typical sold price is five times annualised weekly earnings.

Minimum sample

A council needs at least 100 recorded sales of the selected property type. This prevents very small samples from dominating the rankings.

Annual comparison

The change column compares the ratio with 2024 only where that year also has at least 100 sales and usable earnings data.

Coverage

City of London and Isles of Scilly are excluded because usable 2025 resident earnings are unavailable. Flats have fewer eligible Welsh councils because many do not reach 100 sales.

Sources: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data; Office for National Statistics Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings via Nomis; ONS Postcode Directory. Licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.